Letters to the Editor
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A quick, simple way everyone can save fuel & $$
I'm old enough to remember the 1970s gas embargo -- and the federal requirement that made 55 mph the national speed limit.
I think this should be reinstated ASAP. Far more savings to everyone, regardless of the vehicle they drive, than a temporary gas tax holiday. The bigger the vehicle, the greater the savings, too!
Not only do cars use less fuel (estimate ~1% more for every mph above 55) and substantially lower fuel costs, but there were fewer traffic accidents and fatalities. Speed really does kill.
Here's my experience with the 70s cap on maximum speed. At the time, I commuted ~100 miles roundtrip, 5 days a week. The first week I made the mandatory shift, I hated it. I felt like a turtle. By the end of the week I realized that (a) the trip actually took only a few minutes longer each, (b) my fuel costs were much lower and (c) I arrived at work much less stressed, my shoulders relaxed rather than up around my ears.
The last was a stunning surprise. I would have sworn that driving 70-75 mph (open road, little traffic) was not only easy but totally enjoyable pleasure. My body told me something I'd been clueless about. After that, I relaxed and enjoyed the drive much more.
I still prefer driving 55 mph, although I drive faster when traffic demands(at some point, all those impatient and hostile drivers are simply too scary to deal with). But I refuse to drive over the speed limit.
So the heck with the gas holiday. Let's go back to 55 mph as our maximum speed. (A recent comparison of driving ~3 hrs oneway at 55 mph and the return at 70 mph in California yielded ~35% lower fuel costs for the slower speed, far more than a gas tax holiday would provide.)
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Thanks for the great comedy piece
Did anyone at Salon actually read the entire study? The state of Illinois lost a lot of funds and a 60% pass-through is really not great when you consider that the other 40% went to oil companies instead of the state. I do not think that Obama ever said that the price would not go down at all. It is in the best interests of the oil companies that the price go down a bit to encourage consumption so long as they can also increase their profit margin. That's economics 101.
You quote all of a few sentences and then don't even mention the other fifty-three-and-three-quarters pages at all. This sad excuse for analysis really de-legitimizes this site. Have a nice day.
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CBS News shows you're wrong, Mr. Frost
As do 150-odd economists (and even Krugman, but he won't come out and admit his goddess Hillary is wrong and siding with McCain, much less that Obama is right).
From http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/30/ap/politics/main4060360.shtml
THE FACTS:
In 2000, gasoline prices were climbing quickly, reaching $2 a gallon in the Chicago area _ a remarkable price back then. Illinois legislators scrambled to offer some election-year relief to angry motorists.
Obama voted three times for a tax holiday.
The version that ended up becoming law required a six-month suspension of the state's share of the sales tax on gasoline, a 5 percent tax paid directly by consumers rather than gas stations. It also required gas stations to post signs on their pumps saying that the Illinois General Assembly had lowered taxes and the price should reflect that cut.
The impact of the tax holiday was never clear.
A government study could not determine how much of the savings was actually passed along to motorists. Many lawmakers said their constituents didn't seem to have benefited. They also worried the tax break was pushing the state budget out of balance.
At the end of Illinois' tax holiday, there was a failed push to eliminate the sales tax permanently. Obama was among those voting against eliminating the tax.
Obama's presidential campaign says the lessons of that Illinois tax holiday influenced his decision to oppose a national tax holiday. The lack of clear results then make him dubious about suspending the national tax now.
In addition, the Illinois tax was paid directly by consumers and increased as gas prices increased. Obama's campaign points out the national tax is a flat 18.4 cents (24.4 cents a gallon for diesel) and, therefore, isn't climbing as gas prices climb. It's also paid by producers, raising more questions about whether they'd pass the full savings along to customers.
During a three-month suspension, the average driver would save only about $28, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
"That assumes the oil companies are going to give it to you. That's probably not a likely outcome," said Jack Basso, the association's director of management and business development.
If oil companies did pass along the savings, tax experts say, the lower prices would increase demand. Since refineries are already at maximum production levels, the increased demand probably would drive prices back up.
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Gas tax is a harmful political gimmic
How quickly we forget Earth Day, or collapsing bridges.
Is it a good idea to suspend the gas tax that pays for highway infrastructure, so consumers can get a small, temporary break in gas prices?
Lets look at the big picture. Global warming. According to the DOE, North America’s per capita energy consumption was about 4 ½ times greater than the world average in 1999.
Americans drive huge cars. Travel a bit and you'll notice that most car companies don't sell their most efficient models here in the US. This is because their research shows that Americans don't care about fuel economy as much as power and looks.
Fact is, we drive too much. We don't live near our jobs. It is common for people to drive a large SUV 30 miles each way to work by themselves.
Notice now that higher fuel prices are changing our habits. GM and Ford are reeling from a drop in SUV and truck sales. Suddenly that Ford Expedition doesn't look like a good commuter vehicle.
All that suspending a gas tax will do is push the subsidy of the highway system on to people who don't necessarily use it. A person who makes the choice to work close to home to save energy shouldn't pay as much for highways as someone who commutes 60 miles a day. Gas tax is fair because it taxes those who use the infrastructure.
I'm one of the minority that believe that Americans need the bitter pill of higher gas prices. If we were serious about being green--beyond advertising and lip service--we would raise the gas tax, not lower it.